Preparing to Plan

Our Four Steps in More Detail

Preparing for change

We form a Data Collection Team to conduct an environmental scan and a SWOT analysis that identifies institutional strengths and weaknesses and environmental opportunities and threats. 

Using our own survey instrument, we conduct an organizational assessment to help us understand the institution’s attitudes toward change and its internal readiness to plan.  All of this information is incorporated in a Situation Analysis that presents the brutal realities facing the institution, provides a context for planning, and builds commitment to change.

Preparing leaders

Strong leadership at all levels of the organization is the key to achieving and sustaining lasting change. 

We provide leadership development and training in change management, help in team-building, and support for designing an ongoing process to train and develop leaders at all levels of the organization.

Designing the planning process

This step in the process is where important decisions are made that personalize and institutionalize the strategic planning process to your organization. 

Who should be involved at each stage of the planning process?  What will be the structure for planning that affords ample opportunity for involvement and encourages institution-wide buy-in and commitment, yet keeps the process moving?  What will the planning document look like?  What is a goal, an objective, a strategy, a tactic?  What will be the planning timeline?  We promote a goals down/plans up model of planning.  Will this work for you? 

It will be important to design a process that closes the chronic gap between strategy formulation and strategy implementation which turns too many strategic plans into documents collecting dust on a shelf.

From preparation to planning

The culmination of Preparing to Plan is a workshop for campus leaders designed to serve as the transition to formal strategic planning. 

Selected campus leaders make formal presentations of all background data and information, the environmental scan, the organizational assessment, and the Situation Analysis.  The consultants facilitate discussions of the compelling reasons for change and brainstorming sessions regarding the possible strategic options available. 

This workshop serves as a forum for explaining the strategic planning process and timetable and for forming key planning assumptions that will guide goal-setting and strategy formulation.

For more information about our services or to schedule a time to talk, please use our contact form or call us at (303) 902-7250. You can also email us at tom@williamscompany.net .

Back to Strategic Planning Services                   Next step Plan Development